Although I love vintage books in their proper form, sometimes it’s best to repurpose one for a different use. One such book, that I had, was already starting to fall apart. Instead of throwing it out, I decided to make a book picture frame. A book cover, without the pages, makes a perfect easel for displaying a favorite photo.
How To Make A Book Picture Frame
DIY Book Picture Frame Instructions
Take The Pages Out Of The Book
The first step is to take out the book pages. If your book is old enough, the pages should tear out very easily. Be careful not to rip out the inner soft binding of the book. This is what will hold the front and back covers of the book together. Save your stack for book page crafts. You might as well make use of the entire book!
Remove The Hard Binding
Carefully remove the hard binding of the book. Again, if the book is real old, the hard binding will separate easily from the inner cloth binding. If you have difficulty, use an exacto knife to cut the hard binding away. If you accidentally cut all the way through, you can still glue the front and back covers together later. However, it will be harder to open up the book as an easel. The binding keeps the opening more flexible.
Glue Half Of Binding To Inside Front Cover
Push the binding down inside the book. It will naturally fold in half at the inside. Glue one side to the inside front cover. I like to use E6000 craft glue as it is very durable.
Clamp The Book Together To Dry
Once the inside front cover is glued, clamp the book together to dry. Wait until the glue is fully dry before going on to the next step.
Glue The Other Side
Open the book so that the binding section is on top and the two covers are resting on the table in an easel. Run a line of glue on the opposite side of the binding to glue it to the back cover. Clamp the book together again to dry.
Create The Photo Frame
You will need something to insert your photo into. I used another book cover in a coordinating color. First, draw out a square or rectangle in a size that you want your photo plus about a 1/4 inch all the way around. Using an exacto knife, cut out your shape. Now measure 1/4 inch all the way around and draw another rectangle inside the first one. Cut out this shape. You will be left with a 1/4 inch wide outline of a rectangle. Glue the sides and bottom of this onto your photo easel. Only apply the glue to the very outside inner edges leaving the top unglued. Once this is in place, you will be able to insert a photo from the top and have the border all the way around. By doing this, you can easily switch out your photos as you desire.
